Lidl submit plans for Kidsgrove store

Lidl UK have submitted a planning application to bring a new store to Kidsgrove, on land just off Liverpool Road.

If approved the plans willsee the site currently used by Kidsgrove Working Men’s Club, and also home to The Canal Tavern, redeveloped into a new Lidl supermarket.

The Working Mens Club, which was founded in 1945 and in its heyday had over 800 members, would relocate to a new site on Meadows Road, close to the railway station in the town centre. Although The Canal Tavern would lose an area of land as part of the proposals, the pub itself would be retained while gaining from the additional footfall to the store and the overall regeneration of the site.

The store could create up to 40 new full and part-time jobs for local people and would include a dedicated in-store bakery, longer style tills with dual packing, a customer toilet, baby changing, and ample parking for both cars and bicycles.

Jo Hawley, Lidl UK’s regional head of property, said: “Our multi-million pound plans to bring a new Lidl store to Kidsgrove, on the site currently occupied by Kidsgrove Workingmen’s Club, have now been submitted to Newcastle Borough Council for review and consideration.

“The development, if given the green light, will deliver a number of significant benefits to the local area, including the creation of new jobs and the provision of more choice and convenience for those living close by.

“Importantly, the proposals will also enable the relocation of Kidsgrove Workingmen’s Club, which has been looking to move to a more appropriate site for some time. We’re hopeful that the plans will be heard by the council’s planning committee early in the New Year and will keep the local community updated on a decision in due course.”